Reversible cover

ABSTRACT

A reversible soft cover has two sides with patterns thereon. The cover comprises at least one corner assembly capable of reproducing the corner in either of two inversely related configurations. The corner assemblies comprise panels, holes and flat-radius pleats. The flat-radius pleats allow for the two-dimensional cover to assume either of two three-dimensional configurations, and to reproduce the corners in either three-dimensional configuration. Anti-peel snaps prevent the corners from peeling away during use.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/239,932, filed on Oct. 13, 2000, which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of reversible covers.In particular, the present invention relates to reversible soft covershaving corners that are reproduced either of two three-dimensionalconfigurations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Soft covers have been used to provide protection for a largenumber of items in a wide variety of environments. Soft covers areuseful for covering vehicles or parts of vehicles, such as open beds ontrucks and trailers, vehicle cabs, etc. Soft covers can also be used toform tents and other portable structures. For instance, a soft cover maybe applied over a tent frame or over an already erected tent. A softcover may be used as part of a hunting blind.

[0004] Open-bed trucks, trailers and similar open-bed vehicles have beenused for numerous purposes, including the transport of personnel andcargo, and other military functions. Flat bed trucks and trailers arealso used for carrying various types of cargo, including timber, lumber,machines, and in military applications, field pieces, portable radarunits, generators, etc. Tents and other temporary or portable structuresare known that include internal or external frame structures. Variousvehicles, machines, and other items are often located out of doors forperiods of time when they are not in use.

[0005] Various tops and covers have been provided to protect cargo andother items located out of doors. Typically open-bed vehicles have aframe structure over the open bed, on which a soft cover may be attachedto protect the personnel or cargo within the bed from exposure to directsunlight, precipitation and wind. The cargo on a flatbed truck may becovered with a tarpaulin or similar soft cover. Tents and othertemporary structures, such as hunting blinds, may comprise a coverapplied over a frame. Vehicles, wood piles, and other items may becovered by a soft fabric cover while outside to protect them from theelements.

[0006] Soft covers are typically made of pieces of fabric, such as aweatherproof fabric. Fabric covers offer the advantages of lightweightconstruction and ease of storage, removal and replacement. Soft coversmay also be camouflaged for military or sporting purposes. Camouflagepatterns may be chosen for specific operating environments. Forinstance, a military unit operating in a sandy environment may choose aflat tan, or an earth tone camouflage pattern. A hunter operating in awoodland area may choose a green on green camouflage pattern.

[0007] One advantage to soft covers is that the user may obtainadditional flexibility of use by stocking multiple covers havingdifferent camouflage designs, which may be quickly changed as operatingenvironments change. For instance, a military truck may be quicklyreadied to operate in a different environment by painting the metalparts with a suitable camouflage pattern and switching the soft cover toone having a pattern that matches the new paint job. A hunter may changethe cover on a hunting blind from a woodland green to a broken tan andbrown pattern for hunting in mown hayfields.

[0008] Despite the relative convenience of soft covers, their fullpotential has yet to be realized. For instance, in order for a user toobtain the full flexibility offered by soft covers, the user must haveavailable multiple soft covers having different patterns. Those coversnot in use must be stored, and for maximum flexibility, carried with theuser. Where the user is a military unit, stocking multiple covers, anddistributing those covers to and within a unit before deployment,presents not only storage problems, but also distribution problems. Insome cases, the need to store and distribute different soft covers candegrade the improved efficiency provided by soft covers for operating invarious environments.

[0009] One problem presented by reversible covers relates to the cornerstructures. In general, known soft covers cannot reproduce the cornerstructures properly in both configurations. Thus, the shape performanceof the corners of the know reversible covers are different between thetwo three-dimensional configurations, and the performance of the covermay be compromised in one of them.

[0010] Reversible soft covers have been developed to further exploit thepotential efficiencies engendered by soft covers. For instance, U.S.Pat. No. 6,010,176 to Jones teaches a reversible cover assemblycomprising a number of separate panels that may be reversed to revealtwo distinct designs. However, the Jones cover remains difficult tomanufacture, as it requires separate manufacture and printing ofcamouflage patterns on multiple cover panels. Because the parts areseparately manufactured, it is difficult to match the patterns betweenpanels, and it is likewise difficult to match the patterns with thevehicle's body camouflage. The Jones cover is also difficult to reverse,requiring complex buckle and strap arrangements to be permanentlyattached to both sides of the cover for attaching the cover to theframe.

[0011] There is a need for a reversible soft cover that is capable ofbeing manufactured as a single, integral sheet, but that can conform totwo different three-dimensional configurations, wherein the corners arefaithfully reproduced in both configurations.

[0012] There is also a need for a reversible soft cover that may bemanufactured from a single sheet of fabric having different patternsprinted on its opposite sides.

[0013] There also remains a need for a reversible soft cover that iseasy to install and reverse.

[0014] There is also a need for a corner assembly that may be used in areversible cover that may be reproduced in either of two inversethree-dimensional configurations.

[0015] There is also a need for a fastening device for holding cornerassemblies so they don't peel apart during use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The foregoing and other needs are met by the present invention,which provides a reversible soft cover, e.g. for a truck or othervehicle, the cover comprising a flexible sheet having a first side and asecond side, the first side having a first pattern thereon, the secondside having a second pattern thereon, the first and second patternsbeing the same or different, and the fabric sheet being adapted to befolded into two different three-dimensional configurations.

[0017] The foregoing and other needs are further met by embodimentsaccording to the present invention that provide a corner assembly for asoft cover, the corner assembly comprising a plurality of panels and atleast one flat-radius pleat, the panels having holes therein, and theholes and pleats being arranged so the corner assembly may be foldedinto either of two, inversely related three-dimensional configurations.

[0018] The foregoing and other needs are further met by embodimentsaccording to the present invention, which provide an anti-peel snap forholding together plural layers of flexible material, the snap comprisinga first disc having one or more posts protruding therefrom, a seconddisc for receiving said one or more posts and fasteners for holding thetwo discs together.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The present invention can be further understood with reference tothe attached drawings, which depict an exemplary embodiment according tothe present invention. One having skill in the art will recognize thatthe drawings depict but one embodiment of the invention, and otherembodiments are included within the scope of the present invention.Similar numbers are used throughout the description and drawings torefer to the same elements.

[0020]FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one side of an embodiment of thecover according to the present invention.

[0021] FIGS. 2A-2C are expanded views of a first corner assembly of acover according to the present invention.

[0022] FIGS. 3A-3C are expanded views of a second corner assembly of acover according to the present invention.

[0023]FIG. 4 is a side plan view of a cover according to the presentinvention in a folded, three-dimensional configuration.

[0024]FIG. 5 is a plan view of a rear panel of a cover according to thepresent invention in a folded, three-dimensional configuration.

[0025]FIG. 6 is a plan view of a front panel of a cover according to thepresent invention in a folded, three-dimensional configuration.

[0026] FIGS. 7A-7E are various views of a snap assembly for securingcorners of a folded cover according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The present invention provides a reversible cover that has cornerassemblies that are able to reproduce corners in either of two inverselyrelated three-dimensional configurations. A cover according to thepresent invention is useful for such applications as covering an opencargo bed on a truck or trailer, a truck cab, a tent or other portablestructure, an automobile, machinery, etc. A cover according to thepresent invention comprises a first side and a second side, and isadapted to form at least one reversible corner, preferably at least twocorners, wherein the corner comprises at least one flat-radius pleat.The flat radius pleat allows the corner to be reproduced in eitherthree-dimensional configuration.

[0028] Advantageously, the cover may be manufactured from a single,two-dimensional sheet of a flexible material, such as a fabric. In otherembodiments, however, the cover may be manufactured from severalconjoined pieces of a flexible material, such as fabric, coated fabric,or polymer. The cover 1 according to the present invention may bereinforced by an art recognized reinforcement method.

[0029] An embodiment of a cover according to the present invention willnow be described with reference to the attached drawings. A personhaving skill in the art will recognize that the embodiment set forth inthe drawings is for illustration purposes only, and there is nointention to limit the claims to the embodiment depicted in thedrawings.

[0030] In FIG. 1, a top plan view of one embodiment of a cover 1according to the present invention is depicted as it would appear whenlaid out flat on a substantially planar surface prior to folding it intoa three-dimensional structure suitable for covering a vehicle, a portionof a vehicle, a frame, or other item to be covered. This is referred toas a two-dimensional configuration of the cover 1. The cover 1 may becut from a single piece of flexible material, such as fabric, coatedfabric, or polymer sheet. In some embodiments according to the presentinvention, seams and other parts of the cover 1 may be reinforced by anart-recognized reinforcement method. It is also possible for the cover 1to be manufactured from separate pieces of flexible material.

[0031] The cover 1 may be died, tinted, coated or otherwise treated withone or more pigments or coatings to create a design or solid color onone or both sides. In particular embodiments of the invention, the cover1 has a first pattern on a first side, and a second, different patternon a second side. The term “pattern” can include a solid color or aplurality of colors, such as are typical of a camouflage pattern. Insome embodiments, the first side bears a tan camouflage pattern, whilethe second side bears a green camouflage pattern. In other embodiments,one or both sides may be a solid color, such as tan or green, while theother side is a camouflage pattern, such as brown, tan or greencamouflage. Such embodiments can be useful especially in military andsporting applications. For embodiments intended for use in sportingenvironments, one side may be a mixed fluorescent camouflage, such as afluorescent orange-brown camouflage pattern. In some embodiments, suchas those for use in camping and hiking enclosures such as tents, thefirst side may be a bright color, such as red, yellow or fluorescentorange, while the second side may be a different, more attenuated color,such as brown, tan or black. In some embodiments, such as where thecover will be used as a vehicle cover, the first side may be emblazonedwith a logo, such as a team logo, a school logo, or a corporate logo,while the second side is either a single plain color or a secondpattern, such as a different logo. One skilled in the art will recognizethat the principle of reversibility can be used in numerous contexts,and will be able to mix and match solid and non-solid patterns asnecessary for the particular application.

[0032] The cover 1 can be envisioned as comprising different sections asdepicted in FIG. 1. The cover 1 includes a main panel 2, a rear curtainpanel 3, a front curtain panel 5, rear panel flaps 4, front curtainflaps 6, side panels 7, rear corner assemblies 10 and front cornerassemblies 20. While the cover 1 is depicted with both rear cornerassemblies 10 and front corner assemblies 20, some embodiments of thecover according to the present invention will possess one or the othertype of corner assembly. For instance, where a cover according to thepresent invention is intended for covering a vehicle, a wood pile, etc.,the cover may have corner assemblies of the type according to rearcorner assembly 10 only. In other embodiments, the cover may have cornerassemblies according to front corner assembly 20 only. The embodimentdepicted in FIG. 1 is especially suitable for covering open-bed vehiclescomprising a frame for supporting the cover. In the embodiment depictedin FIG. 1, the combination of two front corner assemblies 20 and tworear corner assemblies 10 provides optimal aerodynamics, as therear-facing corners prevent the corners from acting like sails andpermit airflow around the cover. This arrangement prevents the coverfrom experiencing a balooning phenomenon. In embodiments whereinaerodynamics are not so important, for instance when the cover isintended for covering a stationary item such as a stationary vehicle, atent frame, a wood pile, and so forth, other arrangements of cornerassemblies may be used. A person skilled in the art will recognize thatthe principle of reversibility requires only that a plurality of cornerassemblies 10 or 20 according to the present invention be used, and willmix and match the particular corner assemblies as necessary in order tomeet the objectives of the particular application for which the coverwill be employed.

[0033]FIG. 2A depicts the rear corner assembly 10 according to thepresent invention, in an expanded view, before folding to form thethree-dimensional corners. Visible in this view are the rear curtainpanel 3, the rear tab 11, rear panel flap 4, flat radius pleats 15, 16,rear curtain hole 12, rear flap hole 13, and rear panel flap hole 14.Although the rear corner assembly 10 is described as having distinctparts, a person skilled in the art will recognize that the wholeassembly may be cut from a single piece of flexible material, such asfabric, coated fabric, or a polymer sheet. In some embodiments accordingto the present invention, additional support may be provided byreinforcing portions of the cover 1 by art-recognized reinforcementmethod.

[0034]FIGS. 2B and 2C depict the folding of the rear corner assembly 10to form the rear corner. In FIG. 2B, rear panel flap hole 14 is pulledover rear curtain hole 12. The flat radius pleats 15, 16 allow rear flaphole 13 to rise over rear panel flap hole 14. In FIG. 2C, rear flap hole13 has been pulled over rear panel flap hole 14. The three panels, 3, 4and 11 may then be joined together by putting a suitable fastenerthrough holes 12, 13 and 14. Suitable fasteners include the anti-peelsnap, described infra as well as other suitable fastening meansincluding nut, bolt and washer assemblies. The person having skill inthe art will recognize that other fasteners are possible, and while theanti-peel snap, described infra is preferred, other fasteners may beemployed within the scope of the present invention.

[0035] FIGS. 3A-3C depict the folding of the front corner assembly 20.In FIG. 3A, the front corner assembly 20 is depicted in the unfolded,two-dimensional state. The front corner assembly 20 comprises side panel7, main panel 2, front curtain panel 5, flat radius pleats 22, 26, frontcurtain flap 6, front panel tab 21, side panel hole 23, tab hole 24 andfront panel flap hole 25. The entire corner assembly may be manufacturedfrom a single sheet of flexible material, such as fabric, coated fabricor polymer sheet, or may constructed from separate panels of flexiblematerial. The corner assembly may reinforced by art-recognizedreinforcement method.

[0036] In FIG. 3B, front panel flap hole 25 has been folded over sidepanel hole 23. The flat-radius pleats 22, 26 allow the front panel tab21 to rise upward over the rest of the corner assembly 20.

[0037] In FIG. 3C, tab hole 24 has been placed over front panel flaphole 25 to complete the folded, three-dimensional front corner assembly20. Once the rear corner assembly has been properly folded, it can beheld in place by a fastening device, such as an anti-peel snap,described infra or a washer, nut and bolt assembly.

[0038] The cover 1 may be folded in either of two three-dimensionalconfigurations. The cover may be thought of as having a first side and asecond side. When the cover is folded, it encompasses a space referredto herein as the inside of the cover, the space outside of theboundaries established by the cover are referred to as the outside ofthe cover. A first three-dimensional configuration results when thefirst side of the cover is on the outside of the folded,three-dimensional cover. The second three-dimensional configurationresults when the second side is on the outside of the folded,three-dimensional cover. The cover according to the present inventionmay be folded in either of the two distinct, three-dimensionalconfigurations and the corners will be accurately produced in eitherconfiguration, the first three-dimensional configuration differing fromthe first only in the pattern that is on the outside of the cover.

[0039] Of course the cover according to the present invention may befolded for storage, and the person having skill in the art willrecognize that there are many different configurations that the covermay assume other than the three described herein.

[0040] A reversible cover according to the present invention employs oneor more flat-radius pleat structures at one or more of the corners,preferably at least two corners. In some embodiments, the flat radiuspleats permit the two-dimensional cover to be folded to conform to ashape of a frame structure, such as a rectangular, arcuate orsemi-arcuate shape. Suitable frames for use with the present inventioninclude open cargo beds of trucks, trailers and other vehicles, entirevehicles, frames for tents and other portable structures, etc. In otherembodiments, no frame will be employed, such as when the cover is usedto protect an entire vehicle, or other item such as a wood pile, a stackof lumber on the back of a flat-bed truck, portable radar units,generators, etc. The flat radius pleats allow the corners to bereproduced in either three-dimensional configuration.

[0041] One advantage to a cover according to the present invention isthat it may be manufactured as a single sheet of fabric, a first patternbeing imprinted on one side thereof, and a second, optionally differentpattern being imprinted on the other side. This obviates the necessityof manufacturing the cover with multiple fabric panels, or of placingtwo panels back-to-back to produce a cover having two different patternsthereon. The cover according to the present invention thus allows forsimplified manufacturing processes. This also makes it easier to ensurecontinuity of the camouflage pattern on the outward-facing side of thetruck cover, as multiple panels do not have to be precisely cut and sewntogether to manufacture the inventive cover. This also minimizes thenumber of seams that must appear in the cover, thereby greatly improvingthe inventive cover's leak resistance as compared to prior art coversemploying multiple camouflage panels.

[0042]FIG. 4 depicts a side plan of a cover 1 on the back of a truck 40having a flat-bed 41 and frame members 42 (dashed lines). The cover 1 isover the frame members 42 and may be attached to the frame members 42,the flat bed 41 and/or other truck parts (not shown) by means of snaps,hooks, ropes, etc. (also not shown). Although in some applications it isdesirable to fasten the cover 1 to a frame structure of some type toprevent the cover 1 from being blow off by the wind, in otherapplications it is not necessary for the cover to be attached to aframe. For instance, a heavy fabric may be used to cover a vehicle undermild weather conditions, and the present invention is contemplated toinclude covers having no built-in attachment system. In otherapplications, an attachment system may be useful, however the type ofsystem actually employed, whether it be ropes, grommets, snaps,hook-and-loop fasteners, snaps, etc., is not critical to the invention.A particularly useful attachment system, however, is the multi-purposestraps set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,630, incorporated herein byreference.

[0043]FIG. 5 is a rear plan view of the folded, three-dimensional cover1. Visible in this view are the rear curtain panel 3, the rear tab 11and an anti-peel snap 30, described infra.

[0044]FIG. 6 is a front plan view of a folded, three-dimensional cover1. Visible in this view is the front curtain panel 5, the remainder ofthe corner assembly being folded forward as depicted in FIG. 4.

[0045] Depicted in FIGS. 7A-7E is an anti-peel snap 30 in various views.The anti-peel snap comprises two discs, top disc 30 b and bottom disc 30a, that are held together by one or more attachment devices, such as abolt 36 and nut 37 combination as depicted in FIG. 7C. FIGS. 7A and 7Bshow the interior portions of bottom disc 30 b and top disc 30 a, priorto the installation of snap 30. Top disc 30 b comprises bolt holes 31 band interlocking posts 32. Bottom disc 30 a comprises bolt holes 31 aand an island structure 33 that has recesses 34 for receiving theinterlocking posts 32 upon installation of the snap 30.

[0046]FIG. 7C shows an expanded view of the snap 30 to demonstrate howthe snap 30 is assembled. The interior portions of bottom disc 30 b andtop disc 30 a are positioned so bolt holes 31 a line up with bolt holes31 b, and so the interlocking posts 32 line up with, and can be receivedwithin, the recesses 34 as depicted by the arrows. A bolt 36 is passedthrough each pair of holes 31 a, 31 b and mates with a corresponding nut37 on the other side of the snap as depicted by the arrows, to hold thediscs 30 a, 30 b together. Although only one nut-and-bolt combination isdepicted, the person skilled in the art will recognize that where thesnap 30 comprises two pairs of holes 31 a, 31 b, two fasteners would beused.

[0047] Although the snap is depicted with two bolt-and-nut combinations,it is possible for there to be only one nut-and-bolt combination. It isalso possible for the anti-peel snap 30 to comprise a plurality ofnut-and-bolt combinations, such as three, four, five or six or more. Itis also possible to use fastening means other than nut-and-boltfasteners. For example, the snap may be machined from a metal, such asstainless steel or brass. The bolts may then be received by threadedrecesses machined, pressed, molded or stamped into the bottom disc. Insome applications, washers may also be advantageously employed as partof the anti-peel snap assembly. The two-part anti-peel snap 30 may bemade of a suitable material, for instance a metal or polymer material.Advantageously, the anti-peel snap is made of nylon or polyvinylchloride.

[0048] Corner assemblies 10, 20 may be held together in theirthree-dimensional configurations using the anti-peel snap 30 depicted inFIGS. 7A-7E. For ease of understanding, the plural layers of a cornerassembly are depicted in FIG. 7C as a single structure 43, which may bethought of as representing multiple layers, having a hole 44. In thisembodiment, bottom disc 30 a is placed on one side of layered structure40 so the island 33 lines up with the hole 44. Then the top disc 30 b isplaced on the other side of the layered structure 43 so the interlockingposts 32 are lined up with the recesses 34. The top disc 30 b and thebottom disc 30 a are then pushed together so the posts 32 are receivedwithin the recesses 34. Bolts 36 are passed through the hole pairs 31 a,31 b and secured in place by turning the bolts 36 into the washers 37.

[0049]FIGS. 7D and 7E show top and bottom views, respectively, of thesnap 30 after assembly. The heads of bolts 36 are visible in FIG. 7D,while the tips of bolts 36 are visible within the nuts 37 in FIG. 7E.

[0050] The anti-peel snap 30 according to the present invention isadvantageously suited for holding together corner assemblies 10, 20. Theanti-peel snap 30 holds together layers of fabric by spreading theholding force over a wide surface area, thereby preventing the folds ofthe corner assembly from peeling apart during use. The anti-peel snap 30may also be quickly and easily disassembled, after which the cover maybe inverted (turned inside out). The snap 30 may then be quickly andeasily re-installed.

[0051] The foregoing embodiments are provided for illustration purposesonly, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.The person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that otherembodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention, asencompassed by the claims. All documents referred to herein areexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

We claim:
 1. A reversible soft cover comprising: a two-dimensionalflexible sheet having a first side and a second side; the sheet beingfoldable into a first three-dimensional configuration and a secondthree-dimensional configuration, each three-dimensional configurationhaving an inside and an outside, wherein in the first three-dimensionalconfiguration the first side is on the outside, and in the secondthree-dimensional configuration the second side is on the outside; andfurther wherein the cover has at least one reversible corner that isproduced in both the first and the second three-dimensionalconfiguration.
 2. The reversible cover according to claim 1, whereineach reversible corner comprises at least one flat-radius pleat.
 3. Thereversible cover according to claim 2, wherein the cover has fourcorners, each corner comprising at least one flat-radius pleat.
 4. Thereversible cover according to claim 1, wherein the first side bears afirst pattern, and the second side bears a second pattern, the firstpattern being different from the second pattern.
 5. The reversible coveraccording to claim 4, wherein the first pattern is a solid color and thesecond pattern is a camouflage pattern.
 6. The reversible coveraccording to claim 5, wherein the first pattern is a solid tan and thesecond pattern is a woodland green camouflage pattern.
 7. The reversiblecover according to claim 4, wherein the first pattern is a firstcamouflage pattern and the second pattern is a second camouflagepattern.
 8. The reversible cover according to claim 7, wherein the firstpattern is an earth-tone camouflage pattern and the second pattern is agreen camouflage pattern.
 9. The reversible cover according to claim 4,wherein the first pattern is a solid color and the second pattern is adifferent solid color.
 10. The reversible cover according to claim 9,wherein the first pattern is a solid tan and the second pattern is asolid green.
 11. The reversible cover according to claim 1, furthercomprising at least one member of the group consisting of amulti-purpose strap and an anti-peel snap.
 12. The reversible coveraccording to claim 1, wherein the cover comprises a single sheet offabric.
 13. A corner assembly for a soft cover, the corner assemblycomprising a plurality of panels and at least one flat-radius pleat, thepanels having holes therein, and the holes and pleats being arranged sothe corner assembly is adapted to be folded into either of two,inversely related three-dimensional configurations.
 14. The cornerassembly according to claim 13, comprising at least two flat radiuspleats.
 15. The corner assembly according to claim 13, furthercomprising a means for holding the folds of the corner assemblytogether.
 16. The corner assembly according to claim 15, wherein themeans for holding the folds of the corner assembly together is ananti-peel snap.
 17. An anti-peel snap comprising a first disc having oneor more posts protruding therefrom, a second disc for receiving said oneor more posts and at least one fastener adapted to hold the two discstogether.
 18. The anti-peel snap according to claim 17, wherein the atleast one fastener is a bolt and nut combination.
 19. The coveraccording to claim 1, wherein the cover is reinforced.